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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

How do I clean my cider container?

As a rule it is sufficient to rinse the cider container with clean water. For more stubborn soiling, we recommend cleaning with citric acid or detergents based thereon. For example Citora power cleaner (food safety).

Which fruit can I use for juicing?

You can turn apples, pears, grapes and berries into delicious fruit juices.

Which fruit is most suitable for cider?

There are good ciders everywhere - but not every apple and not every pear variety is suitable for cider. So it is difficult to give a general answer. Slightly acidic, well matured apples are most suitable for cider making. Sweet, mild dessert apples are not suitable. The same is true for pears. For making perry, the most popular pears are the Swiss Wasserbirne, the Upper Austrian Weinbirne and the Gelbmöstlerbirne. Connoisseurs enthuse about perry made from Champagne baking pears.

Those who do not have their own fruit can have their containers filled in a cider mill. There they will also get the right mix of apples and pears. For example, 6 hundredweight of apples and 2 hundredweight of pears yield a very palatable cider.

Why is it that nowadays a stainless steel drinks cask or a plastic cider container are better than the traditional wooden barrel?

The cellars of older houses were consistently cool and damper than today's modern basements. In a modern basement, a wooden barrel would quickly dry out and crack. This in turn could allow bacteria to penetrate via the air into the barrel and damage the contents.

However, Speidel barrels are unaffected by either heat or dryness. They are and remain airtight because they are made of low pressure polyethylene and so protect the contents from dryness and heat. Liquids can be stored airtight in Speidel containers and so lose no aroma.

Can I grind quinces?

No, generally speaking, quinces are too hard!

Can you use the grinder as a garden shredder?

No, the grinder is specially designed for fruit. Wood would damage the blades.

How much fruit can I process with the fruit grinder?

The pome fruit grinder has an output per hour of up to 1000 kg. That means you can grind up to 1000 kg of apples, pears, grapes or berries in one hour. However, because you will have to keep going to get through that amount…

Does the fruit grinder need a lot of maintenance?

No, the grinder is virtually maintenance free. Only the blade unit should be sharpened from time to time.

How is the hydraulic press driven?

The hydraulic press requires neither muscle power nor an electric motor. You only need to connect up a garden hose to the normal domestic water supply and turn the tap on. As a result, the rubber diaphragm inside the press expands and presses the ground fruit at high pressure against the mesh basket.

What sizes of hydraulic press are available?

The hydraulic press is available for 20, 40, 90 and 180 litres.

Can the press be operated with compressed air?

No. Do not operate with compressed air under any circumstances! In case of damage to the membrane, for instance due to a wire, if you are using compressed air this could result in an explosive depressurization. Beware! There is serious risk of injury!

Do I need chemical preservatives for storage in a drinks pressure cask?

No. With this versatile cask you can make your drinks and keep them fresh for months without having to add chemical preservatives.

How long does it take to heat the content of the juice container?

Depending on the container size, it takes between 2.5 and 3.5 hours until the contents of the juice container are heated.

To what temperature does the juice need to be heated?

  • 85 °C should be reached uniformly throughout the container for all the yeast cells to die.
  • What do I have to look out for so that the juice does not start to ferment?
  • Heating to at least 85 °C is important. This temperature should be achieved uniformly (stir with sterile spoon)
  • Do not place the container in a room with fermentation containers (the air there is full of yeast cells)
  • Do not transport or move the container after boiling and inserting the lid
  • Use a thoroughly cleaned outlet tap (best cleaned in the dishwasher)
  • Adequate sealing with vaseline (use more rather than less)

Why is the Speidel juice container always empty of air, even if the container is not completely full?

The juice container has what is called a "floating lid". This cover adapts to the contents of the container by always floating on top of the juice. A sealing ring made of the finest, medical vaseline oil keeps the atmospheric oxygen out.